Of this year’s NWSL awards, Rookie of the Year might be the toughest to hand out. The 2022 first-year players — between our list and players like Amirah Ali, Elyse Bennett, Kelsey Turnbow and Alex Loera -— have been some of the best the league has ever seen.

Just Women’s Sports has chosen four players as frontrunners for Rookie of the Year, representing positions across the field and teams from coast to coast.

Diana Ordoñez, F, North Carolina Courage

Drafted sixth overall in last year’s draft, Diana Ordoñez has been a top-five scorer in the league this season, rising as high as second in the Golden Boot race. Her most impressive run was from June 19 to Aug. 24, when she scored nine goals in six straight games, contributing to her season total of 11 goals and earning August Rookie of the Month honors. With 17 starts across 18 games played, the former Virginia Cavalier has a long-ball success rate of 70 percent and has made 13 key passes.

We call her Scordóñez 😎

Congrats to @diana0rdonez, the August @NWSL Rookie of the Month, presented by @Ally!#CourageUnitesUs pic.twitter.com/cWNubiJXud

— NC Courage (@TheNCCourage) September 7, 2022

Savannah DeMelo, M, Racing Louisville FC

In the same draft class as Racing Louisville teammate and No. 2 overall pick Jaelin Howell, USC’s Savannah DeMelo might have initially flown under the radar but was quick to set the record straight. One of Louisville’s most consistent players, the No. 4 overall pick and July Rookie of the Month has led her team in chances created, successful dribbles per 90 and penalties won. She has also been one of the league’s best at scoring off set pieces, with two of her four goals coming from direct free kicks.

What a beauty from rookie @Savannah_DeMelo! 😍#RacingLou | @RacingLouFC pic.twitter.com/WGlLHP10us

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) September 17, 2022

Sam Coffey, M, Portland Thorns FC

Not only has Sam Coffey been impressing in the defensive midfield during her NWSL rookie season, but it’s her first season in that role entirely. Formerly an attacking midfielder at Penn State, she has transitioned seamlessly into her new position, recording an 83 percent passing success rate and hitting her target on long balls 56.6 percent of the time. Defensively, the June Rookie of the Year wins 69 percent of her tackles and 55 percent of her duels, and she’s made a total of 38 interceptions.

Y'ALL BETTER REMEMBER THE NAME. HER FIRST @NWSL GOAL!

SAM. COFFEY. pic.twitter.com/mRcDiMP1np

— X - Portland Thorns FC (@ThornsFC) September 22, 2022

Our pick: Naomi Girma, D, San Diego Wave FC

No. 1 draft pick Naomi Girma has had a good enough season to be nominated for NWSL Defender of the Year and MVP, let alone Rookie of the Year. Named to three of four NWSL Teams of the Month, she has been the fearless backbone of the San Diego defense, even getting a chance to wear the captain’s armband in her first season with the 2022 playoff-bound expansion team.

The former Stanford defender reads the game like a book, can play deadly long balls to teammates in the opponent’s 18-yard box and is bold enough to carry the ball out of the back and through multiple players in the midfield. Playing every minute of every game she’s been available for, Girma has passed with 83 percent accuracy, won 68 percent of her duels and made 85 clearances, 12 blocks and 24 interceptions.

Center back appreciation post!
Keep your eye on @naomi_girma in the playoffs! @alywagner breaks down the rookie in Inside the Game presented by @mastercard. pic.twitter.com/Y3CaLYWeQj

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) September 26, 2022

Jessa Braun is a contributing writer at Just Women’s Sports covering the NWSL and USWNT. Follow her on Twitter @jessabraun.

PWHL fans can now own a piece of hockey history, as the third-year league unveiled a new memorabilia collection with auction site The Realest on Thursday morning.

According to a release, the partnership creates "the first-ever witness-based, fully-authenticated collection of game-used and player-sourced PWHL hockey jerseys, equipment, and one-of-a-kind artifacts."

"As we enter our third season of unprecedented growth and record-shattering fan support, it was important to preserve our league's history and share those moments with our fans," PWHL VP of merchandising Kate Boyce also added.

The debut collection features memorabilia from all six original franchises as well as the two new 2025/26 expansion teams, with fans able to bid on game-used collectables like Montréal Victoire captain Marie-Philip Poulin's game-worn 2025 PWHL Playoffs jersey, a stick from then-Boston Fleet star and now-Seattle Torrent captain Hilary Knight, and Minnesota Frost defender Natalie Buchbinder's helmet.

Additional items include 2025 PWHL Draft selection cards as well as autographed posters and pucks, among other exclusives.

"From day one, we set out to make women's sports memorabilia a true category, not an afterthought, and our record-setting work across women's leagues proves the demand," said The Realest CEO Scott Keeney.

How to score PWHL memorabilia

The PWHL collection is now open for bidding via The Realest, with all items in the league's debut auction set to close on Sunday, December 28th.

The WTA scored a major victory this week, entering into a multi-year partnership with luxury automaker Mercedes-Benz that has the potential to become the largest deal in women's sports history.

Mercedes-Benz signed on as the pro tennis association's premier partner on Wednesday, committing $50 million per year to the WTA for up to 10 years — a possible lifetime value of half a billion dollars.

What's more, the deal's intention is to help the WTA Tour reach its goal of achieving equal prize money across all men's and women's tournaments and standalone tennis competitions by 2031.

While the four Grand Slams already achieved equal purses nearly two decades ago, this week's partnership allowing the WTA to recommit to adopting that prize money parity across all its events.

The move also reflects the growing global investment in women's sports, building on the WTA's expiring four-year, $20 million-per-year contract with Hologic.

"From the day we founded the WTA, our mission was to ensure that every girl, every woman, could have a place to compete... and make a living playing the sport she loves," legend Billie Jean King said in a press release. "Seeing a global brand like Mercedes-Benz stand with us sends a message that echoes far beyond tennis. It says women's sport matters."

One NWSL legend isn't hanging up her club boots just yet, as former USWNT goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher signed a one-year contract to remain in net for the Chicago Stars this week.

The 2026 NWSL season will mark the 37-year-old's 11th season with the Stars, where she holds the club record for regular-season starts and appearances (165), minutes played (14,821), and saves (512).

"I feel like I still have more to give and want to be out there competing with my teammates and continue to push this organization forward," Naeher said in a Wednesday club statement. "We made a lot of positive strides to close out last season and I want to build on that."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Just Women’s Sports (@justwomenssports)

Naeher and her veteran presence will be a boost for Chicago as the team welcomes new head coach Martin Sjögren, with the Stars aiming for consistency after cycling through three interim sideline leaders following Lorne Donaldson's April firing.

The Stars finished the 2025 season in last place, and have not made it past the first round of the NWSL Playoffs since 2021.

"If you feel like you can still give 100% to what you're trying to do, then keep going," Naeher told fellow NWSL vet Ali Riley on Monday's episode of BFFR. "If you don't think that you can, then it's not fair to yourself or the team to do that."

With just one league-phase matchday left, a trio of unbeaten clubs — Barcelona, OL Lyonnes, and Chelsea — stand alone atop the 2025/26 Champions League table, leading the 18-team pack after all three squads notched midweek wins.

No. 1 Barcelona and No. 2 OL Lyonnes each have 13 points, with the Spanish contenders earning the edge over their French counterparts with a +15 goal differential.

Meanwhile, Chelsea sits in third with 11 points following a 6-0 drubbing of No. 17 AS Roma on Wednesday, though the Blues will need a result against No. 7 Wolfsburg next week to secure a spot in March's quarterfinals with a top-four finish.

Though the byes into the quarterfinals are still up for grabs, with just one matchday left before the knockouts, several of Europe's biggest teams have qualified for February's playoffs.

Wolfsburg alongside No. 10 Paris FC, No. 9 Manchester United, No. 8 Arsenal, No. 6 Juventus, No. 5 Real Madrid, and No. 4 Bayern Munich have already racked up enough points to advance out of the league phase.

Three clubs — No. 13 Vålerenga, No. 12 Oud-Heverlee Leuven, and No. 11 Atlético de Madrid — are fighting for the two remaining playoff tickets, with December 17th's simultaneous kickoff set to determine the winners.

How to watch the final 2025/26 Champions League league-phase matches

Determining both the first four UWCL quarterfinalists and the eight teams entering the playoffs, the final league-phase matchday will see all 18 clubs kicking off at 3 PM ET next Wednesday.

All 2025/26 Champions League matches will stream live on Paramount+.